Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A13629
|
The reasonablenesse of wise and holy truth: and the absurditie of foolish and wicked errour
|
Terry, John, 1555?-1625.
|
1617
(1617)
|
STC 23912; ESTC S118354
|
27,907
|
56
|
supplication to a Prince and not vnderstand what is contained in his supplication much lesse should he doe it to the king of kings vnlesse he looke to be reâ—ected as a foolish and an absurd companion yea as a frantike mad man Thirdly is it not absurd to pray to Saints for such blessings as cannot be giuen but by God alone seeing it is all one as if one should seeke for that of a subiect which is only in the hands of a king to giue Fourthly were it not absurd when thou hast the kings eldest and dearest sonne to be thy mediator to his father to request some meane persons of the court to be thy mediators also as if the mediation of such a person were not sufficient So is it farre more absurd to ioine the Saints to the Sonne of God in the worâ—e of mediation whereas his intercession with the father is 10000000000 times more respected of God then is the intercession of all Angells and Saints Lastly is it not absurd to make the Saints mediators to Christ when be himselfe calleth thee promiseth to heare and helpe thee also whensoever thou by thy selfe shalt come vnto him in faithfull and humble prayer Mat. 11. 28. For hee loueth his faithfull servants better then any creature can loue him and therefore they ought to come rather to him then to any other I come with more comfort said an ancient autor to my Iesus then to any of the Saints For this cannot be the saying of S. Austine because he renounceth Dulcius ad meum Iesum accedo quam ad queÌ„vis sanctorum all other mediators but Christ and saith more over that if S. Iohn himselfe should take vpon him to bee our Mediator he should shew himselfe thereby to be a very Antechrist Aug. cont ep Parm. l. 2. c. 8. Last of all concerning faith they teach most absurdly of all other For where as our commoÌ„ Creed containing the summ of our Christian faith teacheth vs to beleeue in God that is to be fully perswaded that God is our God and louing father in Christ and hath taken vs for his adopted children even all and every one of vs vnto whome he hath giuen a true faith how can this faith taught in our common Creed stand with that of the church of Rome which commandeth vs still to stand in doubt of Gods loue Why is not Gods loue towards his faithfull and obedient children greater then is the loue of any earthly father to his And would not an earthly Father who hath declared his great loue toward his louing child in giuing him the best education that hee can and the greatest portion the largest inheritance take it very vnkindly at his childs hand if for all this he should make but the least doubt of his so entire and tender affection and loue Now our heauenly father giueth to all that are adopted sonnes by faith in Christ a farre better education greater portion and larger inheritance then all earthly parents can giue and that to this end to testifie vnto them the vnsearchable riches of his goodnesse towards them and to giue them full assurance of his vnspeakable loue And yet shall they be commanded still to make doubt thereof yea whereas all professions in the whole world bee they heathenish Iewish Haereticall or schismaticall doe make solemne protestation that they will giue assurance albeit vpon most false and deceauable grounds to their Disciples and followers that if they will rightly embrace their rules and put in practise their commandements they shall thereby be brought neare vnto God haue assurance of his favour and loue And shall our christian profession which only delivereth the true grounds of our reconciliation and peace with God and of his good will and loue towards the faithfull even by the testimonies of a multitude of heavenly Angels Luk. 2. 14. yet be counter commanded herein that by that Church which vaunteth her selfe to bee the only pillar and rocke of faith Vndoubtedly as that person is no chast wife nor true mother that willeth the children still to stand in doubt of the kindnesse of their carefull and louing father so the church of Rome hereby shew eth her selfe neither to bee the chast spouse of Christ nor the naturall mother of the faithfull but the whore of Babylon the mother of all abominations in that shee commandeth the faithfull which are the children of God still to stand in doubt of the loue of God their heauenly father Wherefore to conclude as on the one side we are to pray vnto God our heavenly father that he would still deliuer vs from the wicked doctrines of evill and vnreasonable Papists because they be not the doctrines of faith and truth so we are on the other side still to pray vnto him that he would cause the doctrine of the Gospell to be published more and more that he would giue it a full current and cause it to be glorified throughout the whole earth And let vs also pray that the Lord our God by the ministerie of one Haggei or other would lay open the ends and vses of such gentle corrections which of late yeares our land hath bin visited withal againe and againe stirre vp the spirits of our Zorobabels and Ioshuahs to haue a care first to build the temple of the Lord before the care of building of their own houses And that our wise Solomon would not only haue a care first to build the temple of God before the building of his owne pallace but also haue a greater care for the one then for the other that so of him it might be truely said Behold a greater then Solomon is here Yea that God would more and more settle in the heart of our David King Iames this serious meditation which so throughly possessed the soule of king David Behold I dwel in an house of Cedar trees and the arke of the Lord in divers places of my kingdome dwelleth vnder curtaines by the want of skilfull builders to build it a Temple that so not only our Nathans may say vnto our King Goe doe all that is in thine heart for God is with thee but also his God may say vnto him hast thou such a care to build an house vnto me Behold in lue there of thine house shall bee established and thy kingdome before thee for ever even thy throne shall be established for ever 2. Sam 7. 16. even so oh faithfull Amen say Amen and confirme this thine owne decree that it may be as the decrees of the Medes and Persians that cannot bee altered And say againe and againe of our King Iames and his kingdomes as thou didst once of David his Sion I haue chosen great Brittaine and loued to dwel in it saying This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I haue a delight therein I will blesse her victuals with increase satisfie her poore with bread I will cloth her Priests with health and her Saints shall reioice and sing Here will I make the horne of Iames to flourish I haue ordained a lanthorne for mine annointed And as for his enimies I will cloath them with shame but vpon his head shall the crowne flourish Ps 132. And let every faithfull Britaine crie out to his companion in faith country saying O pray for the peace of London they shall prosper that loue thee Peace be within thy wals and plentie within thy pallaces For my bretheren and companions sake I will wish thee now prosperitie yea because of the house of the Lord our God I will seeke to doe thee good Ps 122. Lastly to conclude let every faithfull soule wheresoever after this or the like maner commend his owne soule and salvation into the hands of his redeemer Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit which is thy due for why thou hast redeemed it O Lord my God most true Send out thy light that is thy truth and lead me with thy grace which may conduct mee to thine hill and to thy dwelling place One thing of thee I doe require that thou wilt not deny for which I pray and will desire till thou to me apply That I within his holy place my life throughout may dwell to see the beauty of thy face and view thy Temple well The greater sort craue worldly goods and riches doe imbrace but Lord grant mee thy countenance thy favour and thy grace For thou thereby shalt make mine heart more ioyfull and more glad then they that of their corne and wine full great increase haue had In peace therefore lye downe will I taking my rest sleepe for thou only wilt me O Lord alone in safetie keepe The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the fellowship of the holy Ghost bee with vs all Amen Yea thou that art God to be blessed for ever so in grace vouchsafe to be with vs that thou blesse the continuall ministerie of thine holy word and heavenly Angels to our continuall sanctification and preservation in this life and to our full and finall glorification in the life to come Amen FINIS
effectuall arguments and reasons for the rooting vp of all errors and vntruths for the opening confirming of all doctrines of faith and godlinesse and for the edifying of the spirituall Scriptura est â—ons rationalis temple of God Let vs saith S. Hierome ascend into the reasonable mount and seeking of the testimonies of Scripture choice and fit timber for every severall point of doctrine let vs cut it downe and there with build the house of wisdome Hier. in Hagg. Neither doth this word of God minister choice timber onely for the building vp of the Lords Temple but all maner of wholsome food also for the sustenance of all such as are of the Lords houshold For in it there is both milk for children strong meat for such as are men Heb. 5 12. The principles of this word are the childrens milke which is by S. Peter called a doctrine standing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vpon so sure and sound reason that hee that rightly apprehendeth the same cannot bee deceaued 1. Pet. 2. 2. whereby he doth distinguish it from the principles of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Pet. 1. 16. all other religions which being not Logicall but Sophisticall as happely hauing in them a shew but not the substance of sound reason cannot but deceaue and destroy all such as drinke downe the venomous poison thereof Now if the first rudiments of the word of God stand vpon such sound reason that they cannot deceaue then the stronger meat thereof which is all such reasons and arguments which are set downe for the further lightning and strengthning of these principles must needs bee of greater light and strength And so no doubt they are seeing they are of power to make the meÌ„ of God which are long exercised therein able so throughly to discerne betweene good evill errour and truth that they can both purely and zealously performe vnto the Lord that reasonable service 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is acceptable vnto him Rom 12. 1. The which reasonable service what is it else but the puritie of a true saith and of all oather divine vertues with all holy workes that issue from them all Ioh. 6. 29. 1. Tim. 6. 11. Now faith as the Apostle defineth it Heb. 11. 1. is the ground of things hoped for the demonstration of things not seene which principally are the vnspeakable loue and goodnesse of God demonstrated not onely in the worke of the creation Rom. 1. 20. but especially in the worke of the redemption 2. Cor. 3. 12. For this is such a demonstration of Gods vnspeakable goodnesse and loue that as Austine saith it doth convince the iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and after a sort force the minde to yeeld her assent thereto Aug. in Ioh. hom 79. 95. So God loued the world saith out blessed Saviour that he gaue his only begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life everlasting Ioh. 3. 16. So Saint Iohn In this appeared the loue of God towards vs in that God sent his only begotten sonne into the world that wee might liue through him Ioh. 4. 9. And againe Herein is loue not that we loued God but that God loued vs gaue his Sonne to be an attonement for our sinnes And againe in the very next verse If God so loued vs c. As if hee would haue vs throughly to vnderstand that such a person giuen for such persons to worke such a worke is such a demonstration of Gods loue that the like is no where to be found no not in all the Bookes of Aristotles Demonstrations When I was here a scholler I heard a most reverend Father namely Mr. Fox preaching on these words of the Apostle If one bee dead for all then we were all dead 2. Cor. 5. 14. say here is such an ergo that all the Schooles cannot shew the like And yet this ergo demonstration whereof we now speake is a more forceable ergo a more compelling demonstration as the same Apostle teacheth in the former part of the same verse For verily if we could attaine to all riches of the full assurance of vnderstanding to knowe the mystery of God even the Father and of Christ Col. 2. 2. Then we should attaine to the full assurance of faith Heb. 10. 22. even to the full assurance of Gods loue If wee were able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length depth and height of the loue of Christ that passeth knowledge then should wee bee filled with all fulnesse of God Eph. 3. 18. In the meane season all such as haue attained to some measure of this faith which is grounded vpon so strong demonstration are called by S. Chrysostome hom 9. in Epist ad Coll. sheepe indued with reason for that they are or should bee able to giue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answer to every one that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them 1. Pet. 3. 15 And verily all such Christians as rightly vnderstand the grounds of their faith are esteemed by the Apostle to bee worthie of the name of reasonable men whereas all that doe not are by him branded with the note of men wicked and vnreasonable Furthermore saith he bretheren pray for vs that the word of the Lord may haue a full current be glorified as it is with you and that we may be delivered from vnreasonable and evill men for all men haue not faith 2. Th. 3. 1. Neither is this first and principall part of Gods seruice only grounded vpon most sure sound reason but also the other part thereof consisting in the exercise of all holy works proceeding from al the divine graces and gifts of the holy spirit of God For if they be not done after that manner and by the inducement of such reasons as God in his word requireth Deus non exigebat quae siebant sed propter quod fiebant Tert. 1 3 cont Marc. them to be performed they are not allowed and approued of Christ Mat. 6. 1. 1. Cor. 13. 1. For that may bee said of all good workes which Tertullian avoucheth of the Iewes sacrifices Viz that God did not in them require the thing done but the reasons for the which they were to be done so God doth not require our bare workes but will haue them done vpon such reasons and motiues as they ought to be done So then the very rudiments and principles of this word of Christ are reasonable milke the service therein prescribed is a reasonable service and the faith therein commanded is grounded vpon a most strong demonstration and the workes therein required are squared by the squier of exact reason and the persons that embrace this faith are only and alone esteemed to be endued with right reason therefore we rightly conclude that this word of Christ set downe in the holy Scriptures of the Prophets Apostles is the only vnerring word of